Virginie Viard Exits Chanel
Chanel announced on Wednesday that Virginie Viard, Karl Lagerfeld’s chosen successor, is exiting the fashion house after five years as its artistic director. Over the years, critiques of her collections and speculations about her departure have persisted. Despite these critiques, Chanel’s sales surged, reaching almost $20 billion in 2023. Viard took on the artistic director role at a delicate time, following the death of Lagerfeld in 2019, who she worked closely with through his tenure and who had led the brand for more than 35 years. According to The New York Times, “he described her as both his left and right arm,” and her appointment brought a sense of continuity to the brand.However, despite rising annual revenues, Viard’s aesthetic differed significantly from Lagerfeld’s disruptive designs and her attempts to make Chanel feel younger often fell flat critically. No new designer has been announced yet, but many are speculating about who will lead the creative direction of the second-largest luxury brand in the world. Viard’s exit follows a shake-up in the industry: Sarah Burton left her creative director post at Alexander McQueen last September, Valentino’s longtime creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli was replaced by former Gucci designer Alessandro Michele in March, and rumors suggest that Hedi Slimane will soon depart his post at Celine. These changes have sparked speculation that Slimane, Piccioli, or Burton might replace her. The next Chanel runway show, a couture presentation in Paris in June, will continue as planned and there is no official word if Viard will take her final bow. [NYT]
Balmain Rescheduled Next Men’s Show to September
Balmain, which had been set to showcase its spring 2025 men’s collection on June 21st, will now present it this fall. This announcement comes just weeks after Fendi revealed it would skip Paris Couture Week later this month “as part of a rescheduling of its shows.” Balmain stated, “Following recent executive changes, with new CEO Matteo Sgarbossa assuming the leadership role one month ago, Balmain announces today [Wednesday] that it is changing the date of the presentation of the house’s spring 2025 men’s collection. The collection, which had been scheduled to be shown on June 21, will now be presented in September, during next fall’s Paris Fashion Week.” Sgarbossa, formerly international director of Givenchy, took the helm at Balmain last month, succeeding Jean-Jacques Guével. Men’s fashion week in Paris begins on June 18th and concludes on June 23rd, immediately followed by Paris Couture Week. Couture dates were moved to June 24th-27th to avoid clashing with preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympics. [WWD]
Riccardo Tisci Is The First Guest Editor and Creative Director of Boy.Brother.Friend
Former creative director of Burberry and Givenchy, Riccardo Tisci will be the first guest editor and creative director of Boy.Brother.Friend, a biannual print publication and digital platform founded by KK Obi in 2020. The publication explores Africa and the African diaspora through contemporary art, fashion, and theory. Issue eight, set to be published later this summer, will revolve around the theme of “faith.” The issue will focus on trust, community, and showcase the work of established and emerging creatives in Africa and among the diaspora. Tisci’s creative input will be highlighted through a 40-page cover story photographed by Inez and Vinoodh on Michaela Coel, the Ghanaian-British actor and filmmaker with whom he has previously collaborated with on the red carpet. Tisci also enlisted other creatives and “cultural catalysts” to contribute to the issue saying, “Since their first issue, I have followed the important work that Boy.Brother.Friend has been doing to spotlight the voices of those often underrepresented.” Obi, a stylist and creative director based in London and Lagos, remarked that he wanted to work with Tisci because the Italian designer has encouraged and supported their work and mission. “So, when the time came to plan our latest issue, it was clear to me that there was no better person than Riccardo to take the helm. For many years, his trailblazing work has impacted the global cultural landscape in incredible ways,” Obi added. [WWD]
Hairstylist Nero Unveils His New Exhibition, Youth
Hairstylist Nero is our next artist for Models.com’s Behind The Image. Inspired by a mentor, he attended Japan Beauty College and honed his hair design skills. After stints in Tokyo, Paris, and New York, hairstylist Nero started working with fashion brands like Vogue and Helmut Lang, until he began capturing Polaroid portraits, documenting over 300 individuals. His new exhibition ‘YOUTH’ showcases the portraits and opens in Tokyo this Friday, June 7th, to Sunday, June 9th. Check out his interview here.
Sherri McMullen on Championing Rising Black Designers with Shop McMullen
For Sherri McMullen, intentionality and representation are the core of her luxury retail concept store Shop McMullen, located in the vibrant heart of Oakland, California. Growing up, McMullen saw the lack of diversity among decision-makers, fueling her mission to champion rising designers like Christopher John Rogers, Maki Oh and Rachel Scott of Diotima. Models.com spoke to McMullen about her entry into the industry, her incubator program, Beyond M, and more. Find the complete interview here.
Model of the Week: Fresh Off the Dior Runway, Alyosi is the Rookie of the Season
After her debut at Prada and a recurring spot at Dior, Alyosi is Models.com’s Model of the Week. Find her full interview by clicking the link here.
MDC Selects: These MDC Selects Share Their Routines and Scouting Stories
Six new rookies from different parts of the world are here to share a little about how they were discovered. Check out the interviews here.
